Cody became an All-Big 12 center at Texas A&M and was drafted by the 49ers on Sunday in the fourth round, the 107th overall pick and the second center taken in the draft. Marcus spent four years in prison on drug charges; he was released in January and has another few months to go in a halfway house.

The brothers from Cuero, Texas, 80 miles southeast of San Antonio, lost both their parents years ago.

Cody was 8 and Marcus 11 when their father, Benny, died in prison at the age of 43. His death has been variously reported as caused by a liver failure and a ruptured esophagus, but in either case, it followed years of alcohol abuse. He spent the last year-and-a-half of his life in prison, as a result of charges that included stealing guns from a storage unit.

Eight years later, their mother, Debbie, died of an illness doctors couldn't explain. She hadn't been able to take care of the boys for many years, so the parenting responsibilities fell to their paternal grandparents, Chester and Rachel Wallace.

For more than a year, Debbie had been in bad health. The grandparents drove Cody 30 miles to see her once or twice a week.

It would be hard to find another player in the NFL draft who came from a tougher place emotionally than Cody Wallace in his 21 years.

"He has a maturity way beyond his years," said his agent, Leonard Roth.

Wallace said the adversity had a lot to do with the person he has become.

"Going through so much at a young age, it seems like I can handle more difficult situations a lot of the times maybe easier than most people," he said. "I typically don't try to stress over the little things and kind of just look at everything in a little bigger picture."

Jim Bob Helduser would vouch for that. Now a high school coach in Texas, he was the offensive line coach on Dennis Franchione's A&M staff, which was ousted at the end of last season.

"He's just an outstanding person who happens to be in an NFL player's body," Helduser said Sunday. "He has exceptional character due to his upbringing by his grandparents.

"I think he'll be successful (with the 49ers) because of the same things that made him successful with us - he's very committed and very intelligent."

Chester Wallace and his wife held a barbeque at their home Sunday to celebrate their grandson's selection in the draft.

"We've got about 40 people here now, and we'll have about 70 if the weather holds out," Chester Wallace said. "It's getting windy and we might get some rain."

He said of Cody, "We're very proud of him, but we'd be very proud of him even if he was not selected."

He said Cody's Christian faith helped carry him through the difficult times in his life. "I'm 80," Wallace said. "It ain't easy bringing up a teenager when you're our age. But Cody was never a lot of trouble."

Marcus, on the other hand, "drifted away and got involved in the wrong bunch," Wallace said. "It's hurt Cody to see the way things have gone for his brother."

Though not heavily recruited out of high school, Cody Wallace was a three-year starter at Texas A&M and was co-Offensive Lineman of the Year in the Big 12 last season and a finalist for the Rimington Award given to the nation's top center.

He was also an excellent student. He received his degree in sports management before his senior season and was working on a master's degree this year.

After last season, the 6-foot-4, 296-pounder worked under the 49ers' coaches at the Senior Bowl, and head coach Mike Nolan said he did well in the game working against USC's Sedrick Ellis, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Nolan said Eric Heitmann remains the starter at center, but Wallace will be given a look at that spot "because that is where we know he is best suited."

Nolan compared him in personality to ex-49ers center Jeremy Newberry, "a no-nonsense guy when it comes to football."

Wallace wears a diamond stud in each ear. The studs came from his late mother's earrings. He once said, "It's kind of like having my mother with me a little bit."

Cody Wallace

Pick: 4th round, 107th overall

Position: CenterSchool: Texas A&M

Height: 6-4 Weight: 296

College career: Redshirted as a freshman in '03, appeared in four games in '04, then started 36 consecutive games for the Aggies. Scouting report indicates he has a strong upper body and is smart but his footwork is inconsistent. Enthusiastic weightlifter, he holds school record for squat at 740 pounds. Was an Academic All-America as well as a finalist for the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the nation's top center.

NFL outlook: The 49ers' coaches got a good look at him during Senior Bowl week and liked what they saw. Head coach Mike Nolan compared him in attitude and temperament to former S.F. center Jeremy Newberry, although Wallace is not as big. He adds depth to San Francisco's offensive line but was not drafted to take Eric Heitmann's job any time soon.